English Original
A man in prison asked a newcomer why he was sent there.
The newcomer answered, "Just bad luck, I suppose. A few days ago, I was walking down the street when I saw a piece of dirty rope. Thinking nobody wanted it, I picked it up and took it home."
"But picking up a piece of rope isn't against the law!" the first man exclaimed.
"I told you it was bad luck, didn't I?" the newcomer sighed. "The trouble was, I didn't notice there was an ox at the other end of that rope."
中文翻译
监狱里，一个人问新来的犯人为什么被关进来。
新来的犯人回答说：“我想我真是倒霉。几天前我在街上走的时候，看到一根脏绳子，以为没人要了，便捡起来带回了家。”
“但是，捡一根绳子带回家并不犯法啊！”第一个人惊呼道。
“我告诉过你我倒霉了吧？”新来的人叹了口气，“麻烦的是，我当时没注意到绳子的另一头还拴着一头公牛。”